I could barely lift my legs to keep going. Soggy shoes and socks were making my feet blister and rub. On that last third of the run, there was a man who was probably in his mid to late 60's who was cheering from the side of the road in a black wheelchair. He looked frail. He kept rooting and shouting out to us "GO TEAM IN TRAINING!! TWO TIME LEUKEMIA SURVIVOR HERE! I APPRECIATE ALL THE HARD WORK YOU GUYS DO!!" You better believe that I turned up a notch when I witnessed his outburst. That was who we did the fundraising for. That was why I chose to do Team In Training.And I'm not the only one. Thanks to you and your support and contributions, the Northern Capital Area(NCA) Team In Training(TNT) raise over $242,864.68 just for the St. A's Triathlon. The whole NCA region has raised over $$817,841.75! In addition to that, just at the St. A's Triathlon, Team In Training as a whole(U.S. wide) raised over $1.7 million towards the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!
OK- I'm sorry it's been more than three weeks from the triathlon and no report. It's amazing how life fills in the gaps where you previously had things going. Work a big one, but also sleep and other things. So, I told you I was going to participate in the St. Anthony's Triathlon. Well, it ended up being more of a duathlon -just biking and running. The swim was cancelled due to the fact that the tide was making the water was so wavy that the kayaks and buoys couldn't stay in place(kayaks to watch out for troubled swimmers, buoys to outline the swim course). I wish it hadn't so that I could say that I did all three legs, but I was happy because I didn't want to swim in that salty, wavy water and drink(more like gulp) the sea water.
I've made you wait long enough, so here are the results:
Notice that several of the top 25 are from the Washington DC area- we kicked butt!!
Yes, that's right- 19th out of all(73) male Team In Training participants, 1979 out of over 6200 total racers! The bike was great- steady pace, didn't overdo it too much. Almost wiped out on a turn that was pretty sharp! I amazed myself on the run- I had no idea was running a sub-9 min. pace. I figured after all the biking it would be at least a 10 min. pace. I was definitely in pain half way through the run portion though, and by mile 4(2/3 mark) my legs were ready to give. Some of the local residents sprayed us with their hoses while we ran through, which was great, but I ended up getting some nasty blisters after running in soggy socks and shoes that didn't heal for a week! I thought I'd work on my tan while I was on the run, so I took off my tri-top and hung it in the back of my water belt. I lost it on the sprint to the finish line though, but I gave it a real 'all-out' effort, and I wasn't going to stop to go back and pick it up when the finish line was so close(~500 yds).
Here's a link to some pics that the official race photographer took, I don't think you can just download the pics off the 'net without buying them.
So what did I learn through all of this? Doing a triathlon is much like a marathon in the sense that you train for endurance. You don't go all out the whole time-you go at the pace you can maintain, and then there are times when you sprint, or go all-out. I think it's a very similar parallel to life, even more so with the fact that you have to juggle three sports, not just one. It is a turtle vs. hare thing. Eventually you get there, but don't just blindly speed through because you just won't be able to finish otherwise. Enjoy the scenery. I caught up to a fellow teammate on the run and offered her some water from my fuel belt so she could cool off. I had more than enough to stay hydrated and cool(also what added to the blisters!)
Why did I do it all? Why struggle to have breakthroughs in carrying out my schedule? Why struggle with the fear of the unknown, to battle and develop commitment and determination? Why put enormous strain on my body? I did Team In Training for a few reasons:
- To get in shape (I lost 20lbs).
- To push myself beyond what I knew (I had no clue how I was going to raise over $4,200- I'm now at $3870).
- To meet new people (I met some amazing, wonderful, and not to mention beautiful people - many were beautiful women ;-) ).
- To be part of a greater cause, something bigger than myself (I met teammates who survived non-hodgins lymphoma. A couple people donated in honor of their family members who had leukemia. The son of my mom's friend was just diagnosed with leukemia.)
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the cause to cure Leukemia, Lymphoma, & Myeloma (although to me I just want to cure all cancers) seemed like a good choice partnered up with all those objectives. Do I have a six pack now, no. But I'm already signed up for my next triathlon here in Washington, DC- the Nation's Triathlon on Sept. 13, 2009. I'll be training for another 4 months, with possibly some sprint tris in between. I still am saving for my own bike though, so we'll see what I can manage to scrounge up. Triathlons are expensive!I've already paid the registration, and don't have to fundraise for it(so you can let your breath out- you know who you are).
I also had a huge shift in my health. Some of you may already know, but my father was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes a couple weeks after I started training in December. Not only has he had amazing breathroughs in his blood sugar and cholesterol by changing his diet, but I did too and now incorporate much more vegetables, fruits, and plant-based foods in my diet. I considered going vegetarian, even vegan, but I love seafood too much! So it's more of a pescatarian (fish and plant-based foods) thing. We'll see how it goes. Right now I'm enjoying it.
Am I a better person? Marginally. Is the world a better place? Marginally. Am I going to keep fighting for both? You bet. I'll go back to the quote from Lance Armstrong- so overused but so applicable, “Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.”
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